Multiple permits, ten stakeholders, eight drills, wetlands, demolition, restoration adds challenges to a reloaction
7000 ft. Relocation
When highways are widened or realigned all utilities must move into a new right-of-way (ROW) to make way for road construction. This process used to be straightforward, but with the growth in traffic and multi-lane “smart” expressways, to accommodate more vehicles, relocation projects have become complex.
A relocation project, four years in the making, finally came to life. After winning the bid Midwestern Contractors (MWC) could not start work because of delays with permits. Fortunately, MWC has an excellent permit department. They were able to assist this customer by expediting the application process and securing the necessary permit 90 days earlier than expected. This allowed for a more favorable start date in the month of August. Additionally, a detailed dig book had to be compiled and submitted before permits were approved. Every ground penetration had to be documented, mapped and submitted along with drawings. There were ten stakeholders involved in every permit review. During the project five locates were always kept active.
Quotation from first letter of recommendation
"Midwestern Contractors just completed tie-ins for our project, and they were executed safely and flawlessly. My onsite inspector has told me that in over 40+ years of experience in the pipeline industry, Midwestern is the best contractor he has ever worked with.
I personally had a great working relationship with Midwestern team members, and it is without a doubt that we had an awesome team
working together.
Midwestern Contractors has illustrated their attention to detail, quality, and safety continuously throughout this project. From providing weekly cost updates and schedule look-aheads to leading the coordination and communication among the relevant stakeholders, Midwestern Contractors went above and beyond to ensure that the project went as smoothly as possible.
This includes the expertise of their permitting staff in obtaining the required construction permits from the Office of Underground Construction (OUC) for the City of Chicago—a process that typically takes 6 or more months, but Midwestern Contractors was able to complete the permit approval process in just 3 months, (this is just amazing!!).
I give Midwestern Contractors my full and highest recommendation."
Sincerely,
Young Yim
Project Manager
Silt fence - Drill string - Welding - Coating -
Directional drill - Drill exit - Drill string guidance - Drill string pullback
Open cut - Welding PI - Removing rubble - Tie in drills
Risers - Above ground valves - Restoration - Hydrostatic tests
Quotation from second letter of recommendation
"From start to finish, and all throughout, Midwestern Contractors has been a great partner to collaborate with. Their planning, attention to detail, execution, and assertive responsiveness made cross-coordination of activities and business on my end significantly easier.The team was communicative, thorough, and their due diligence was apparent throughout each stage of the project.
I welcome the opportunity to work with the Midwestern Contractors' team again and would highly recommend their work product."
Regards,
Jacob V. Marshall
General Manager
Menzies Aviation - KORD
The project required relocation of two six-inch pipes along a 3,500 ft. line of lay. Each pipe had to be installed separately by either horizontal directional drill or by open cut. Eight separate drills were required varying between 100 ft. and 1,500 ft. in length. The ROW segments in-between the directional drills were excavated sufficiently to create a depth to top of pipe of 60 inches. A portion of the new ROW was formerly industrial park. This area was identified on historic air-photos. It presented an excavation and drill obstacle that was met with hydraulic rock breakers and larger 300 series excavators. In one case a section of slab had to be removed to allow the drill bit to reach the surface.
Efficient use of excavation crew and equipment resources meant that a drill crew could be set up with matted work areas, equipment, entry and exit pits, to allow them to start drilling. Once drilling was underway, the excavation crew moved to an open-cut segment to prepare for pipe laying. Meanwhile, welders built the drill strings, x-rayed joints, coated and welded the string together as needed. Each drill pullback area was constricted and required that the pullback string be made as multiple segments. This required approximately four hours to weld, X-ray, and coat each connecting joint before the pullback could continue.
PROJECT NOTES
- Project duration eight months
- 7000 feet of 6-inch carbon steel pipe installed by opencut and HDD
- DTOP 60 inches
- 8 directional drills 100 – 800 – 1500 feet in length
- All welds x-rayed.
- All joints sand blasted, coated, and tested for holidays.
- Four hour above ground hydrostatic test
- Eight hour below ground hydrostatic test.
- 300 cubic yards of concrete rubble removed from site.
- 7,000 feet of decommissioned pipe, cut up and removed from site.
All drill strings were hydrostatically tested above ground for four hours and after all drill strings and open cut sections were connected, but before tie-in welds, an eight-hour hydrostatic test was conducted.
Environmental protections included extensive use of silt fence, containment and drying of drilling fluid, hauling and disposal of excavation rubble and during the demolition phase all old pipe was cut into lengths, sealed, and hauled off for disposal and recycling. The only section that was left intact and grouted was a forty-foot segment under railroad tracks.
Demolition was accomplished by first locating every foreign utility that crossed the line of lay of the old pipe. Each utility was then exposed by potholing. The old pipeline coating was tested to make sure no asbestos was present. Next bell holes were made to allow access to the pipe. Hydraulic shears were then employed to cut the pipe into manageable pieces. These pieces were sealed and then loaded for hauling.
Final tie-ins took place in mid-February and the line was operational. The project was completed by finish grading, seeding, rebuilding three hundred feet of fence, and removing all silt fence and mats. The project took eight months to complete.
About Midwestern Contractors:
For over 70 years Midwestern Contractors has provided project management and construction services to the oil and gas industry. The company has grown and along with its parent Electric Conduit Construction, now serves the following industries: oil, gas, industrial gas, renewable gas, fiber optic, telco, overhead and underground utility placement, industrial electrical. This broad range of services allows the companies to deliver turn-key projects that require installation of piping, communications, electrical and fiber systems. We welcome your interest in our company and look forward to bidding on your projects. Please click on “Project Request” and one of our project managers will respond.